These vegan double chocolate banana muffins are moist, soft, and bursting with rich cocoa flavor and chocolate chips. I make these muffins gluten-free with oat flour and sweeten them only with banana and maple syrup.

Chocolate banana muffins in white muffin wrappers on a countertop.

Whenever I make my chocolate banana muffins to share, I’m always hit with, “Wait, these are vegan?!” and “These are gluten-free?!” The answers are yes and YES. These vegan chocolate banana muffins are dairy-free and sweetened with maple syrup and ripe bananas, and made gluten-free with oat flour. They remind me of my chocolate banana bread, and they’re just as soft, moist, and easy to make for an on-the-go breakfast or snack.

Why I Know You’ll Love These Chocolate Banana Muffins

  • Irresistible texture. The muffins are moist, fluffy, and soft, with a rich chocolate flavor thanks to cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
  • Vegan & gluten-free. If I use stevia-sweetened chocolate chips, these muffins are refined sugar-free, too!
  • Easy to make. Whisk the dry and wet ingredients separately, combine them, and then bake your muffins! These chocolate banana muffins are quick to whip up any day of the week.
  • Customizable. Add chopped walnuts instead of the chocolate chips, or go half-and-half for a little added crunch.
Overhead view of Double Chocolate Banana Muffin ingredients

Notes on Ingredients

Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions, and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.

  • Gluten-free oat flour – For this recipe, I chose oat flour because of its light texture and subtle oat flavor.
  • Xanthan gum – Xanthan gum imitates gluten in gluten-free baking recipes by binding and adding volume to the batter. You’ll find it in the baking aisle at most grocery stores, or it can be ordered online. Don’t skip it—it’s essential to the success of these chocolate muffins!
  • Baking powder, baking soda, and salt – Check the expiration date on your leavening. If it’s expired, I recommend buying fresh so that the muffins rise properly.
  • Cocoa powder – Either Dutch process or natural cocoa powder can be used for this recipe.
  • Flax egg – This is a vegan egg substitute made from flax seeds and water. See my quick tutorial on how to make a flax egg for details.
  • Maple syrup – You could also use brown sugar if you’re not making your muffins free from refined sugar.
  • Coconut oil – My favorite oil for baking. You could use another neutral-flavored vegetable oil if you prefer.
  • Vanilla extract – Or an equal amount of vanilla paste. You could also use pure vanilla bean if you’d like.
  • Ripe bananas – These muffins are a great way to use up old, overripe bananas. The banana in this recipe is subtle in flavor and more of a binder for the other ingredients. It also adds moisture. If you’re looking for a more distinct, banana-bread-like flavor, you might like this vegan banana bread instead.
  • Unsweetened almond milk – Or another dairy-free milk of your choosing.
  • Chocolate chips – Make sure they’re refined sugar-free and vegan as needed.

The Secret to Moist Muffins

Every muffin recipe is different, but for these double chocolate banana muffins, it’s the coconut oil and banana that make them super moist. Coconut oil is always my favorite for vegan baking because it yields such a tender, moist crumb.

Apart from using the right ingredients, the best way to ensure your muffins come out soft and moist is to not overmix the batter and not overbake them.

Two stacked chocolate banana muffins surrounded by more muffins on a countertop.

How to Make Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Here are the steps showing how to make these easy gluten-free and vegan chocolate banana muffins from scratch.

Whisking dry ingredients in glass bowl
Whisk the dry ingredients.
Whisking wet ingredients for muffins in glass bowl
Combine the wet ingredients.
  • Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a muffin tin with muffin liners or by coating it lightly with coconut oil, then dusting with sifted cocoa powder, shaking off the excess.
  • Mix dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt, and cocoa powder.
  • Mix wet ingredients. Whisk the flax eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil in a medium bowl for about a minute, or until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and almond milk and stir for another minute. 
Chocolate chips and muffin batter in glass bowl
Combine and mix the batter.
Chocolate muffin batter in glass bowl with spatula
Fold in the chocolate chips and bake.
  • Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides as needed. Do not over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Fill the muffin tin. Divide the muffin batter into the muffin tin holders; I usually make 10 larger muffins, but you can also do 12 smaller muffins. Add a few more chocolate chips on the tops if you’d like.
  • Bake. Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 20 to 23 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then slide a butter knife around the edges of the muffins and carefully remove them. Let them finish cooling on a wire rack.
Overhead view of assorted double chocolate banana muffins on a countertop, surrounded by scattered chocolate chips.

Tips for Bakery-Style Muffins

  • Not a fan of bananas? As mentioned above, these don’t have a very pronounced banana flavour, but if you’re baking these for someone who’s just not a fan of banana at all, you can use less-ripe bananas. They’ll still act as a binder and add moisture to the recipe, but they won’t have as strong a flavour as ripe bananas.
  • Choosing chocolate chips. Dark chocolate is my prefered choice, but you can also use stevia-sweetened chocolate like Lily’s Dark Chocolate Baking Chips to make these refined-sugar-free. 
  • Testing for doneness. The muffins should spring back when you gently press them in the center if they’re done. 
Assorted double chocolate banana muffins in white muffin wrappers on a countertop, surrounded by scattered chocolate chips.

How to Store

  • At room temperature. Store these muffins in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze. You can freeze these double chocolate banana muffins for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving, or warm them up in the microwave.
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Chocolate banana muffins in white muffin wrappers on a countertop.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Servings: 10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes
These easy chocolate banana muffins are moist, soft, and bursting with rich cocoa flavor and chocolate chips. They’re easy to make, vegan, and gluten-free!
5 (from 10 ratings)
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Ingredients

  • 4.5 ounces gluten free oat flour, (127g)/1 ¼ cups raw oats – I grind up oats in a blender
  • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted 20g
  • 1 flax egg
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup, 84g
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted, 56g
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, liquid or gel or ½ of a vanilla bean, scraped
  • ¾ cup mashed bananas, very ripe bananas
  • ⅓ cup dairy free milk, any kind works
  • ¾ cup vegan chocolate chips, plus a few extra for on top*

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a muffin tin or line with cupcake liners. If preparing the actual tin, using parchment paper, rub the insides of a muffin tin holders lightly with coconut oil, then sift cocoa powder over to coat insides and shake off the excess in and on top of the tin. So essentially, flouring and buttering like you would a cake pan. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt and cocoa powder to combine.
  • In a medium bowl, add the flax eggs, maple syrup and the coconut oil. Whisk together for about 1 minute until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract/bean, the mashed bananas and the almond milk. Mix together for about 1 minute until bananas are completely incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix again, scraping the sides and ensuring everything is combined. Do not over mix.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter should be very thick.
  • Spoon the batter into the muffin tin holders. I like to do 10 larger muffins, but you could also do 12 normal sized muffins. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top if you’d like, it makes them prettier!
  • Bake the muffins for 20 to 23 minutes. I’ve done both times and prefer 23 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then using a butter knife or a toothpick, slide around the edges of the muffins and remove. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

The calorie count will all depend on the type of chocolate chips you use. Dark chocolate is lowest in calories, and using stevia sweetened such as Lily’s Dark Chocolate Baking Chips will be the best choice, for example. You can also reduce to 1/2 cup chocolate chips if you’d like.
How to store: Store these muffins in an airtight Tupperware container. They should last at least 4 days on your counter top before they begin to get harder.
How to freeze: Freeze Double Chocolate Banana Muffins for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving, or warm them up in the microwave.
Calories: 224kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 188mg, Potassium: 182mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 34IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 2mg

Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Jessica Hylton